The paraspinal muscles are the “action” muscles of the back.
When they work, the result is the obvious movement of your spine.
The technical name for the paraspinals is theerector spinae.
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As the name suggests, the intermediate layer is located above the deep layer, and beneath thesuperficial layer.
These include:
These muscle groups attach at various parts of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine.
The contraction of paraspinal muscles also serves to “check” the action of theabdominal muscles.
In other words, the abdominal muscles, particularly the rectus abdominus, bend the trunk forward.
The abdominals and paraspinals work together to help maintain upright body posture by this same mechanism.
Chronic back pain is often related to the paraspinal muscles.
Components
The paraspinal muscles run lengthwise along the spinal column, from the skull to the pelvis.
This includes theligamentsthat connect these processes to one another.
This also includes the ligaments that connect these processes to one another.
The longissimus is situated between the iliocostalis and the spinalis.
Like the iliocostalis, the longissimus has three parts to it.
Of the three paraspinal muscles, the spinalis is the one closest to the midline.
Mechanical stress or poor posture can cause the muscle tissue near your spine to become pulled abnormally.
Additionally, these muscles may simply contract to prevent further damage to the area (protective muscle spasm).
They can check things out, make a diagnosis, and start proper treatment.
Most problems with the paraspinals respond well to gentle stretching and strengthening exercises.
Striving for postural awareness and strong yet flexible paraspinal muscles can keep you moving in a pain-free way.
They help to stabilize the spine and allow it to lean, twist, and bend.
Physical therapies such as massage, stretching, and strengthening exercises may be used to treat injured paraspinal muscles.
Other treatments may include OTC pain medication, staying hydrated, and hot and cold applications.
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